Has anyone turbocharged a 1st gen Xterra before? I was wondering what the internal spec of the VG30DE were capable of; boost pressure wise. I used to build import engine in Honda's and Acura's (not just little 250whp cars...im talking real 500-700whp). Anyone know of a site that will show me the stroke, bore, compression, etc. of the engine?

I know the H223b out back will handle the added stress, my main concern is how much boost pressure to run. How much boost do the SC X's produce. I am sure i could double it without having any problems.

Aiming for a good 350-400whp....just to be safe.

Discuss and inform........

No no one has. We dont want to go fast in our trucks. Not to mention there is no VG30 in any xterra.

--Kinda like turbo-charging a riding lawn mower, man could you smoke some high grass-

Oh man with all the weight I've added to my X,I couldn't imagine going any faster..

a wise man once told me:

"if you want a fast car, buy a fast car"... i.e. if you want something that will go fast, it really helps to start with something that will go fast right out of the box...

i would imagine that also applies to trucks... want a real pavement burner? start with something like a x5... the dynamics of the xterra don't exactly lend themselves to high speed chases... imo, a high powered xterra would be a recipe for disaster, unless really significant modifications were made to the rest of the truck...

one man's opinion anyway... but then again, i'm not a member of the "more power is always good" club...

Hasn't been done, and don't expect any help here. If you wanna do it, do it, and come back to prove us wrong, but all you're going to get here is "don't waste your time and money" as far as advice goes. We've seen plenty of pie-in-the-sky dreamers like you, nobody has followed thorough.

Brent

The Factory Service Manual has all of the info you are asking for, including blow ups of the engine and parts, etc.

You want the VG33, not the 30 as discussed above, as X's never had the 30's.

I'm not sure the math supports a doubling of the SC's boost boost as giving 350 hp....and that's belt driven, not exhaust driven boost....so a few more horse pressure, and maybe mid-200's HP is realistic w/o changing a bunch of associated/impacted components to make it survivable.

The VG33 is really set up for low end grunt, not high rpm thrust...so you'd be essentially making a new engine.

Its probably less work to see what advanced adapters, etc, has, and drop a small block or already turbo'd nissan engine in, etc...as a starting point...than to take a pig and try to make it fly.

I know, my bad, the VG33...

Anyway, the aim with 350 horsepower...Thats not alot. But with a turbo application and proper tuning, i could easily make more torque than horsepower. Maybe i would aim for 280whp rather, to make it more livable. That way i could tune for 310 torque.

If the factory SC creates 5psi of boost, though driven by a belt, it loses a small percentage of that. So the 20hp differnce is created. But using a turbo system with a matched turbo (say a T3 flange on a 60-1...)it would create enough highend spool to have top end power, but lots of low end grunt to churn the tires into motion.

This is all just wondering if its possible, so positive and negative critisism are welcomed.

But some of the other desert runners i ran with a few years ago back in Big Bend, walked away from me, and all i did was eat dust in my Hardbody, granted i had 233whp...it was ample enough, but not enough to stick with the high performance rangers and f150s.

I would just like to have an SUV that could show some grunt.(my personal taste...is custom and out of the oridinary...i dont like main stream ideas)

i feel you bro....ask any of these guys i made and ass of myself asking pretty much the same thing, i wanted 2 super charge my '01 XE, after considering the input i got from these guys, i didnt like it but i realized it jus wont happen. unless i rob a bank or somethin. my advice, if you got the money, go for it and once its finished post some pics and specs, just 2 make us all jelous. and belive me a 280whp xterra will show a new side of what u can do with an x....make it happen

My boss and I are debating on giving it a go, 5psi non-intercooled should yeld 40-50lb/ft more torque. If you use a small compressor side with a high pitch wheel on the exhaust side, you can get full boost around 1500-1800rpm.

I won't be in it for the HP numbers, Some more torque is what I am looking for.

Where would you mount the turbo? Don't you have to do a twin-turbo since there are two exhaust manifolds?

No. 300 ZX came in a n/a, single and twin turbo application.

Uh, where or when was theere ever a single turbo 300zx?

As for the location of the turbo. A new braket to hold a larger radiator will have to be fabricated to move the radiator and AC condensor core foward by about 2-3 inches. Other than that a single turbo could either be set directly up front, behind the radiator or up top like a conventional setup, however in that case, the exhaust manifold would have to be quite lengthy...resulting in more torque.

If i do it, it will be hand made by me and a little outsourced labor by a engine building company a used to manage. And you are right, 5psi would yeild a good 40-50wtq with the correct selection of compressor wheel and exhaust housing. What are you guys thinking about tuning it with. (Wondering if CROME will work to cut costs...?)

If ya'll do it, run the turbo through the fender to a snorkel. That would be sick...thats my idea for my setup.

From 1984-1989 the VG30ET single turbo
VG30E N/A
VG30DE(TT) is the twin turbo from 1990-1996

Thanks for playing.

Wikipedia is your friend

I asked, you answered. Thanks.

Rear mount, behind the muffler.

The VG30ET ran a crossover pipe behind the block over the bell housing to bring the right bank over to the left side where the turbo was.

So you're going to go with the www.ststurbo.com type setup eh? I've always wondered how the hell that actually works, seems like a recipe for massive turbo lag.

It is. I installed a STS kit on a Tundra...on the dyno i think it made like 27hp/36ft.tq. It was a piece of shit. Plus there was all sorts of piping running under the truck and no intercooler or anything either.

The crossover pipe is a much more user friendly and efficient way of getting the turbo to spool at LOW RPM and making power. Ofcourse there is also the need for two custom manifolds...but those make power by themselves, over the stock "log-style" manfolds used on most factory turbo kits.

All depends on what wheel you use. Besides the distance from the engine doesn't matter. What would cause the lag would be the trash can we call a muffler. If the stock muffler was removed and placed after the snail that would negate the lag some people experience.

Distance does matter. Exhaust gases travel in pulses. Between each pulse, is ambient or negative air. As these pulses build up on the compressor wheel of the turbine; they compress until there is no room for them to compress BEFORE the wheel will spin. Therefore, the further the turbo is from the wheel the longer it will take to spool = inducing lag.

A GT10/11 wouldn't even have a problem in that location.

You can practically get away without a muffler entirely, especially with such a remote turbo location. The turbo alone muffles the exhaust considerably already.

Technically, on a turbocharged car...you ONLY need a Catalytic.

Yeah, your COULD mount it like an STS kit...and YES it IS cheaper...personally, i just DONT like it.

A turbo on an Xterra, might as well get the altezza tail lights and spinning hub caps while you're at it....oh, and don't forget your boost guage and bright neon blue underbody kit. Hell, might as well use NOS.

The best place to look would be on 300zx discussion boards. Or shearch google for "turbo VG33" but leave off "Xterra"

Probably around here you will just get a bunch of smart ass answers because there is a belief that by wanting a quicker, better handling Xterra is counter to its purpose. I dont really understand how having a slow shopping cart makes you cool, but thats what people believe.

I wouldnt do that personally. The X is quick enough for me, but that would be pretty cool if you got it to work. My friend turbo charged his jeep about a year ago- definately made it unique.

You can also bore it out and install Q45 pistons, which would make it a 3.4 liter with higher compression. Wouldnt give you as much as a good turbo, but Im just pointing out that there are quite a few things you can do to the engine. All they require is time, money and guts.

The world would be a better place if the name STS was never mentioned again. What a piece of shit. On the other hand, good luck on the turbo build. It won't be easy but it's nothing a little creativity, money, and welding skills can't handle.

Did you work for any shop in SA?

you should hear my car...

you are the single most moronic person i have read a post from in at least six months.

The answer to all your problems

I agree that the X is not made for any more power than you can squueze out with some minor mods.

I mean you take a good turn with your 300+ hp and you are on your side......I would like to see those pics.......when it does happen.

STS = Shitty Turbo System....

Stay as far away as possible...

X-Quad I belive or it sounds like you know your stuff. No offense to others but I would do it post pic's maybe a vid and shut these pepole down. This site has helped me in so many ways I can not believe the crap you are getting it is sad. I know there is alot of pipe dreams on this site but once in a while somebody pulls it off. I say go for it prove them wrong!!!!! Also I thought tell me if I am wrong this site is for help not bashing pepole!!

just trying to save time and money b/c its not worth it. i know i saw some pictures around here where somebody mocked on up with 2 intakes coming out of the hood or somethin. anybody know what im talkin about?

is this the one that you were thinking about?

turbo link

yep, thats the one.

yes, because since you have 300 hp, you dont have brakes any more. they just dont work.

Also, you realize that if you drive a stock Xterra into a corner too fast, it could roll over. Even the n/a model, do you understand that? Or does that go completely over your miniscule Cro-Magnon caveman brain?

FAST BAD!

Ummmmmmmm...yeah we get it. There are several reasons that we suggest not Turbo Charging an X.
1) It's NOT A SPORTS CAR
2) It should not be driven like a sports car (see #1)
3) See #1
4) The vast majority of X owners are either: a) mall crawlers who could care less about more power or b) people that take their X off road for whatever reason: trail head access, camping, wheeling, desert running, etc...Most of these activities (except desert running where speeds/revs are high a good majority of the time) do not lend themselves to effective turbo use. But would be better off using a super charger.
5) Did I mention that the X is NOT A SPORTS CAR?

That is all

you know absolutely nothing about turbos, and you never will because you are closed minded. why did you mention the high rev thing? because you think you have to have high revs to spool a turbo? yet again you are wrong. unless you are trying to make a thousand horsepower with a turbo the size of your big stupid head, turbo lag can be avoided. my wifes car makes peak torque at 3500 rpms, with a turbocharger. my car has a large turbo and it is fully spooled by 4200. this is with a small 4 cylinder. with a bigger six, and a small to medium sized turbo, you could make torque with a turbo at very low rpms. turbo lag used to be a problem, but with todays technology, it is a thing of the past. this is all without the parasitic friction of a supercharger belt/pulley.

listen to and respect peoples ideas, and opinions. you aren't always going to be right. especially when there is a subject with no right or wrong answer.

my xterra is a sports car.

No. It is not.

i know why you are worried about cornering.

This is what happens when people think that there truck is a sports car [url= [url=http://videos.streetfire.net/video/d6259532-8f28-42b5-8f6e-f45a7208eafa.htm] [/url] Click here to see Video]link[/URL]

This is what happens when you have more suspension than horsepower. I for one would go faster.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfB-RvmVaTU

no silly :rolleyes: . it rolled over because it's not a sportscar. it was never meant to be driven like one either.

Tyrone, what people here are saying is that turbocharging an Xterra and thinking it's a race car is kinda like lifting a Corvette and putting mud tires on it.

Not like it hasn't been done to a Vette, but think about it for a second... different purposes for diff. vehicles.

You get the idea.

you know, lowering the vehicle will help reduce the chance of rollover.

might as well do all the XOC deadly sins and put 20" wheels on it too.

dont let these guys deter you. you just have to go out and do it, come back with pictures, and then listen to the crickets chirp. just dont expect much help from them. find a few performance forums and talk to them. youll get much better information.

I know this is a hair off topic, and possibly my first post on this board. However, have any of you even tried taking your Xterra to a local racetrack to see how it does? I took my 05 with literally 3000 miles on her. And a full tank of gas.

She ran a 15.632 @ 87.71mph. No lie. Thats pretty freaking quick for a street TRUCK. Now. I agree, My X, is not a sports car. I have another car that i tinker with, which is also not a sports car, but will be sure to hold it's own vs a vette and corner a hell of a lot better than my X.

I got news for you, this 4.0 DOHC motor in these trucks. Would be a huge victim for a turbo. I actually had the Greddy shop here interested in doing a single turbo (under hood) install. But, I won't ever come up with the money they want me to fork out. I'd LOVE To get more performance out of my truck, it's my daily driver. I already built myself an air intake, couldnt' see spending $200 bucks for the K&N kit, I used an K&N Filter, just my own welding and piping experience.

I've contemplated numerous things in order to achieve my need for rapid acceleration. First, find some type of throttle body i can install that isn't throttle by wire, Second, to install some type of Boost pressure, whether it be a directly mounted Vortech supercharger. Or a turbo done by myself (now that my other car is dependable again). If not, oh well. I've even, done the extreme and thought about taking the Titan 5.6 V8 motor, and bolting it up to the 6 speed manual trans since they share the same bellhousing and transmission according to Nissan. It'd be hella quick.

Anyway, enough jibber jabber.

OK, first of all, the Xterra is not a STREET TRUCK...second of all, that is a good 1/4 time for a heavy off road SUV, but it's just not what these trucks are for. I don't know. Maybe it's just me, but I think it's kind of pointless to track an SUV...let alone add a turbo to it.

There's no place for that kind of stuff in the Xterra...well, at least not amongst a vast majority of this forum anyways.

If you guys with dreams of 300+ RWHP want that kind of thing, you should have just bought a Lightning or an SSR. That way, you could have your "truck" and eat imports too.

If you've never driven or ridden in a Lightning, let me tell you, there's nothing like the pure power of an MP112 supercharger pulling you forward and setting your hair on fire And the sound is incredible.

But damn...just wheel it or commute in it...if you're not going to wheel it or introduce it to dirt, mud, and rocks in its life, no one's going to give you shit for it...but if you want to drop turbos in it, and talk about getting Greddy parts, euro tails, 3" exhausts, and big Nissan stickers that cover the back window...you're in the wrong place. Just my view is all, take it or leave it.

i left it

Well, then at least take this statement:

The Xterra is not a sports car, a sports car is not an Xterra...

...what people are trying to get across to this guy is that for a MAJORITY of the people here, this is the wrong type of subject to ask about...there's just not enough interest in putting a turbo in an Xterra....and as you know, we live in a country where Majority Rules...why expect anything different here?

The definition of insanity: "Doing the same thing more than once, and expecting different results".

The same applies to asking the same question more than once. It's been asked before, and has met with the same results...it will be asked again and met with the same results.

For what it's worth, I'd like to see it done. Not that I'd ever do it to mine, as it's a "daily driver"...

I've been in situations before where I was in 4hi with the ac going and the pedal to the floor and just simply didn't have the power to climb up a steep hill after I had stopped for a sec. Flipping the AC off gave me just that little bit that got me going

If I ever thought about doing modifications that hefty, I'd probably just try and squeeze in a v8 to get that hearty low end torque. I don't need high revs unless it's for engine compression braking.

Damn, have to add my few cents... Its his truck, let him turbo it, if it works, 10 to 1 if its cheap enough some of us will do it. All this argueing reminds me of when I first was reading about the X on jeep forums..

"Hey guys, I have an Xterra and want to take it off roading)

"Pffff, get a real truck, Xterras are mall crawlers, soccer mom suv's... you will never do any real offroading with it"

Sound familiar?

I sure as hell wouldnt mind more power in my X and i have the SC, and if its cheap enough of a solution, im sure as hell going to get one. Im a big boy now, i think i can do what I wish with my truck whether it be an SAS or a turbo... I love how people pull the "you will shoot your eye out kid" thing... tell that to the dodge and chevy performance truck guys, they will laugh at you. Now if he rolls it, then you can say i told you so. I wish some of the guys here would quit being someones daddy and let the guys do what they want with their trucks. I didnt know the Xterra was just for offroading, this club might as well be renamed to the "Xterra Offroad only, because we say so club"

Dude, all the more power to you, pun intended. there had to be a first for an SAS, 35 in tires with trimming, so you can be the first for a viable turbo solutions.

Save yourself some hassle.... buy a VQ35 (maxima/altima/pathfinder/350z) and buy a turbo kit..... (I'd just swap the VQ and call it a day...

Nissans BEST V6..........

I agree that the VQ35 is a bad ass motor, my maxima has one and with the 6 speed it really moves. Swapping in a vq35 is probably do-able since they come in pathfinders. However I say since you have experience doing custom turbos, why not just turbo the vg33? Just do it! Prove all these guys wrong and make it happen. Its a good idea, build it for torque and make your X quicker, it would help whether you are on the street or the trail. Just because its faster doesnt mean you are trying to make a ricer street racer. I get that. I would do it to mine if i had the know how and the spare change. More power is ALWAYS better, no matter what you use your truck for.

And anyways, "street trucks" can be fun, my brother has one... a 05 hemi ram lowered 5 inches (the right way) with ALL new suspension, springs, shocks, f+r sway bars, etc., it has 400whp and almost 450ft/lbs of torque.... It drives amazing, and will definitely pin you back in the seat. Plus i just towed my 3300lb maxima over 400 miles with it, and you couldnt even tell it was back there. It is still a truck, just a fast, fun one

I know this is old, but thought I would add my $.02. If you are going non-intercooled and want to keep it simple, why not mount the turbo back where the stock muffler is ala STS. They seem to have good luck with the rear mount turbo. Everybody seems to think it would be laggy from all the piping but I have talked to 3 different guys running this exact setup and lag is not an issue. Not to mention the packaging benefits. You also get *some* cooling from the boosted air running through the long charge pipe to the engine. As far as turbo selection goes, a 60-1 probably wouldn't be ideal given the low boost pressure you would be running. I would look more into the Mitsu. 17c or 19c wheels. That's what the Syclone/Typhoon guys run. It's more geared for larger displacement engines running low boost.
And here is STS for those that have not heard of them: http://www.ststurbo.com/

The biggest problem with the turbo is the really low boost produces very little power. Each pound of boost will only be good for maybe 6-8whp. 5psi gets you maybe 30-40whp. A bit more than the stock s/c model. Not close to the 300whp you want. At 20% drive line loss(not sure in the X and worse in 4 wheel) you're looking for 360+ fly wheel horse. You'll blow the 3.3 way before you get there. For the amount of custom work, its not much gain. I'd love to see a 300TT motor dropped in an X though!!

What you talkin bout willis, Heavy SUVs meant for haulin chit are FAST on the strip...look at this bling..

http://overlandtrucks.com/system-f/Nissan_Truck_drag_race.wmv

These are turbo Vg33 dyno charts. They were swapped into 300zx's

http://www.redz31.com/turbofaq/dynographs/dannymuir.jpg

http://www.redz31.com/turbofaq/dynographs/graffzdyno.jpg

I for one think you should go for it. I dont understand why everyone freaks out when you want to increase the power of the 04- X, while at the same time everyone is thrilled at the power of the 05+ X.

Well for one, i NEVER said anything about building a street truck. For those of you who are intelligent and open-minded, thank you! To the rest...have fun being ordinary. I broke my driveshaft the otherday...so i will be getting one built by Thrash Driveshaft Specialists. Either a one or a two peice. Should be lighter and stronger than stock.

As for the turbo, it will be a little while, since i am buying a new GSX-R 600 in a few weeks and will also be looking for a 4WD Xterra to drive daily while the current 2WD enters its first stages of its build process. The turbo will be the last thing to go on, but I have decided to go ahead with the project and do it. In its final stage i hope it to look like this:

Using the TCF Suspension and Sway-a-way shocks front and rear. Fiberglass fenders in the front and an engine cage as well as full interior roll cage. So there is ALOT of work to be done, but an old shop I used to work for will probably be assisting me with the build. Im going to teach myself to weld and bend pipe and probably to the cage myself...very very strong (rolling at over 80mph might hurt if its not strong enough) Also the truck will probably be running 31x11.5 Wrangler MTRs next week and a small 2" lift for the time being.

Also, i think i was asked if i worked for a shop in SA...YES i did. I managed and accounted for SCI Motorwerks for about 8 months.

So would a VQ35DE be a good idea by itself or should i turbo it anyway? Here are the different variations i have found:

240hp/265ft in the '00-'03 Pathfinder
250hp/249ft in the '05 Altima
265hp/255ft in the '05 Maxima
287hp/274ft in the '05 350Z

To me, it looks like the 350Z version is my best bet. All of them look better than the pathetic 170hp/200ft pushed out of the VG33DE. Has anyone swapped these engine/trannies?

::still researching....still researching::

The more i research this, the more i want to swap the 350Z engine. It seems like it will only cost me around $4,500 to obtain one and less than $2,000 to swap it in and have it all ready-to-race (offroad only). So from a financial standpoint its a better idea.

So then there is the turbo question...Should i or shouldnt I. Power numbers for a turbocharged VQ35DE are around:

364hp/351ft at 8psi


All this for around $5,500 from Turbonetics. However, with the VQ35DE swap this also opens up the possibilities of aftermarket SUPERCHARGING. Average SUPERCHARGERS for the VQ35DE vary between Roots type and A/R type. The Roots being the more efficient of the two. Here is a link to the STILLEN Roots type blower ($5,700) for the VQ35DE which makes 410hp/380ft at 7-8psi!!:

http://www.stillen.com/news_select.aspx?id=87

Making 410hp/380ft seems perfect for what i want this Xterra to do. Plus if it all works out a friend of mine is excited by the idea of doing it to his Frontier.

DISCUSS PLEASE......

Thanks on the 1/4 mile praise.

There's plenty of room. Ever hear of a Remote Mount turbo system? Very easy and much more affordable to do... I could easily do that on my truck, and keep everything from being destroyed if i ever did go in an area where the lift of the truck as it sits from the factory could still be a beneficiary.

The '05 Xterra's, aren't that far from 300 RWHP. I have a dyno slip to prove it. 239 horse (and the dyno sheet was still climbing when i let off the throttle at 6000 rpms) as well as the 252.5 lb=ft of torque @ 4050 rpms. TO THE WHEELS.

See picture (linked from my account at V6z24.com... the other car) [img]http://www.v6z24.com/jbodyforum/download.php?id=9504[/img]

Enjoy guys.

Dude, why would you copy and paste this and post it in the general racing forum of a desert racing site on the net? RDC is an actual site frequented by guys who actually build and race desert cars and trucks.

And on top of that, you posted in the wrong forum.

Please don't. Just don't.

Thats exactly what I was looking for, a professional opinion from seasoned vets, plus thats the only offroad racing forum that I found. They seam serious and thats what I want to be a part of. I would love nothing more than than to race in the SCORE or CORR series. Even Baja would be awesome!

I dont see where the problem is?

And on top of that, Where else would i post. I want a General Discussion about my plan and it's being built for Desert racing...therefore "Desert Racing - General Discussion" looked fine by me.

You might want to learn a little bit about what you think you want to get involved in before you set out to build something to run a series that you cannot run. SCORE doesn't allow superchargers or turbos. CORR doesn't have a class that the X would be able to fit and it would be a really bad idea to race an X on a short course anyways considering the short wheelbase, tall ride height and limited gearing options.

Also re: RDC:
A) they have a tech forum. In your case it would have been performance/engine.

B) you cannot use turbos and superchargers in mose desert racing aplications so no, not many guys deal with the. And there are very very few guys running Nissan anything anyways.

It would be a gigantic time of money, time and a perfectly good Xterra to not know anything about the sport and jump head first into without sitting on the sidelines for a little while and getting yourself an education.

Ok superdog. Relax. First off, the Xterra can be ran for fun or in Sportsman class. I love my Xterra and want to do different things with it. So why would you take the time to discuss it at all if your so against me? Just shut up and go on your way. No point in hasseling me.

Plus i see two companies offering long travel kits for the Xterra's so why not build it to have some fun on the beach or in the sand. I am just looking for information, but i guess i will stick to XOC instead of the RDC. Just looking for professional help and opinons, not e-thug guys like you.

I'm going to try to say this nicely, but from your above post it won't matter, because you're going to think I'm an e-thug just like Socal...

What Socal was trying to say (and I've had this discussion with Dave Blakely who IS running a 2005 X in the Best in the Desert series but I'll try to get to that later) is that racing in any form, desert, SCCA, carting, Champ, Nascar, etc...is VERY EXPENSIVE. Running the sportsmans class, or just for shits and grins is going to put you so far in the hole, unless you are independantly wealthy this probably isn't going to happen. Why? Because Sportsman's class nets you a trophy...if you place...not any $$$. The prize money that the people running in other classes win helps to offset the costs of running in a racing series.

At any rate, swapping in the VQ has been done, it was called Project X and the complete molestation that Calmini/Nissan had to do to fit the VQ in the first gen Xterra's engine bay was insane...bordering on stupid.

But, I digress. I dig the fact that you wanna go play in the desert, maybe...and I LOVE to see people put comparable time and money and love into their Xterras as I do, but I HATE to see people get frustrated because they can't do what they set out to do because of vehicle limitations.

Now on to Xterraracer (Dave Blakely).He is running a 2nd gen Xterra in the BITD series, but it's a 2nd gen with 265 HP out of the box and the class he started out in the X was the most powerful vehicle. It out ran everyone he was competing against. So it can be done, and by "it" I mean running an X in a desert running/racing manner.

As for the LT kits for the first gen X you'll have to ask people here that have them if they perform well enough to go play with the big boys.

If I left anything else or posted anything incorrect I'm sure I'll be corrected in the most ferroscious XOC manner that I have come to know and love

I dont see anything E-Thug about you at all. The other guy came across rude. Thank you for the breif intro to Xterracer. That is really cool to see others have the same love for the trucks as I do.

As for the VQ35DE swap, i dont see the problem, their overall outside dimensions are nearly identical only the internals have a real difference in size and it is only by millimeters. If you have a link to the Calmini-Nissan project I would greatly appreciate it.

Personally I used to manage a performance shop that specialized in engine swaps, custom turbo systems, and prototype designs in intercooler positioning and transmissions. We even swapped a SRT4 transmission into a 2002 Acrua RSX-S just so we could have a transmission to hold the 600+whp that was being made by the 2.0L 4 banger. Thats just one of the swaps. making a RWD civic powered by a K20A out of an Integra Type R was a grulling project but it was done. So by the looks of this swap in comparison with others i have been a part of, this seems like a piece of cake.

I am not planning on building this truck in a week, therefore money is not a problem since it will be built over the next 2 years. The TCF LT kit will be used for now and who knows, maybe swapped later for a full out 25" custom system. Thoughts?

Thoughts?

Yeah, I think that you should listen to the guys here and on RDC that are trying to tell you that you need to relax a little.

25" WHAT? Travel? you are going to build a trophy truck out of an Xterra? Did you not see what I wrote about wheelbase? 600HP? Why? You don't know what you need. You don't know what you want. You don't know what you are talking about. When you go on a racers site and talk about your skinny pedal being your own limitation and how you are used to driving fast in the desert you look like an idiot.

You have no clue what fast in the desert is to those guys.

I'll try this again since you are young and have a tendancy not to listen. You want to build a tube chassis 600HP 25inches of travel race car that's fine. Don't start with a stock Xterra. I have one of those two "kits" on the market. You will run into limitations with a "stock" vehicle. ESPECIALLY since we are likely talking about your daily driver.

Let's get this straight: you ARE talking about racing your daily driver right? Great. Now stop. It's your transportation. Once you cage and tube it, and link it (you will have to to keep up with the monster 25" front end you want) you will have to cut the rear body, cut the rear of the frame, install a fuell cell, and eliminate all of the creature conforts of a streetable vehicle to make it raceworthy.

Race trucks don't have AC or power windows after all. I really was trying to be delicate for you but you don't get it. Start small. I understand that at 20 you know everything and you managed something for what I'm sure was a great career. Just slow down. Learn about suspension. Learn about scrub,camber change, and ackerman angle.

Are you planning on drawing up everything in solidworks and then just cutting and welding it together? Do you have a bender? Are you planning on MIG or TIG welding it? How well do you weld?What kind of metal are you planning on using? 4130? DOM? Cromolly? Mild steel? Do you know the properties of metals when it comes to building a truck and protecting your head?

How much do you know about cage design?

My point is that you don't take a stock truck and turn it into a racecar overnight. It takes an eduaciton, skill and an understanding of a great number of skills before you just slap a number to the side of a car and enter a race. It's not that easy.

And the worst thing you can do is take the car that gets you from home to school and to work and back and start cutting it up without knowing what you are doing just because you got a hair up your ass from seeing something cool on the internet.



Oh yeah. Since you seem to think that I don't know what I'm talking about here's mine:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=nfB-RvmVaTU

Is it at all possible that somone could build the turbo Xterra in private?

Then when it is complete: Wow us with pics, video, and so many dyno sheets that evey member of XOC could get one to hang on the garage wall. :p

Dude seriously, why are you reaching out to me. I appreciate the opinions and thoughts and advice, i really do. I dont know whay you are so upset. No one else has replied so much like a jerk nor givvin me so much information. So...this time I am going to say thank you; sincerily.

As for cage design yes. I would be TIG welding 4130 Chromoly. Its strong and thats what I have used in the past on race cars. I have helped design and build 4, 6, 8, 12, 20-point cages. While at the same time TIG welding entire cars...right over the factory MIG welds to strengthen chassis. Plus the TIG is just about the most time consuming thing I have ever attempted...it sucks. I weld good enough for street cars to work magic on them, but like you said a truck isnt built overnight, NOR by ONE person. I would ofcourse be getting help. And yeah I have ready access to a hydraulic pipe bender and a mandrel bender. Creature comforts? screw creature comforts. I drove a 450whp Honda CRX around with NO A/C, STIFF TRACK SETUP SUSPENSION, REDICULOUS RACING ECU TUNE, and a cage for quite some time while managing the shop. As for it being my daily, its not. I am about to add a third to the garage, something fun on the street aside from the bike. Probably going to sell my Acura.

Your truck...the video of you tearing down the beach...THAT is what i want to do with the Xterra. Just something fun. You have the SPL kit (i think thats what it is) it has the ol' torsion bar setup...I think I spoke to you a while back about the product in comparison with TCF's coil over conversion.

Then, RDC...I didnt know what kind of site it was, so I am sorry for posting there at all. I thought it was a conglomerate source for offroad enthusiats but i was wrong. Seams more like a professional place ONLY, so i will stay out.

Yeah, I am 20 years old. So what. I dont know everything, I know barily enough to get by, but i am always willing to learn more by asking people who know. So when i saw RDC it seamed perfect for the questions I had. Just wanted to know if it was possible and if would be plausable. Appearantly not. I just had my heart set on doing something out of the ordinary...even if it just ended up a show car.

Either way, I will probably continue the project and have FUN with it, since THAT is what life is all about. If it doesnt work, I am sitting on a stock pile of stock Xterra parts, a 350Z engine and tranny, and a whole bunch of other crap...so i can sell it all later anyway. So seriously, why discourage me, if i have nothing to lose but time and money?

Sure! Consider it "Black Booked"